I am still confused by the eligibility requirements for this category, but here are the six nominees in my order of preference (not predictions!)

1. Meredith Baxter, The Young and the Restless. I really hope she returns to the show ASAP. I loved her drunken pal scenes with MTS’ Nikki, her work with her son Stitch and daughter Kelly and her confrontation scenes with a pregnant Victoria (the revelation that she and not her son had killed her husband). She was fun, dramatic, and made terrific acting choices!

2. Donna Mills, General Hospital. It was fun seeing Donna Mills again! Shades of Abby from Knots Landing. She had terrific scenes with Michelle Stafford, Kathleen Gati, Michael Easton, and Ryan Paevey. She played a schemer. I am hoping she will return to GH for a visit ASAP. (My only wish: she had played scenes with Leslie Charleson – they had costarred as sisters Iris and Laura on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1967-70))

3. Sally Kellerman, The Young and the Restless. Oscar-nominee Sally Kellerman (for playing Margaret Houlihan in the movie version of M*A*S*H) played wheelchair-bound Mrs. Bingham for a few months – terrific work with Kelly Sullivan and Justin Hartley. Her character is dead so there is no coming back for a visit (unless she’s a ghost!)

4. Linda Elena Tovar, General Hospital. Rosalie is a really interesting character. She recently showed up after a long absence, so she’s still technically on the show. I thought she was quite good in the role, but the writing was definitely frustrating. Will we ever learn Rosalie’s secret? She did good work with the younger set: Kristen Alderson, Chad Duell, Bryan Craig – I wonder if she will submit the episode where the hit man attempts to kill Michael?

5. Ray Wise, The Young and the Restless. My problem with this actor was that his role was so one-note. He played that one-note solidly but I didn’t find him all that compelling. I also felt that the amount of screen time he got (and also I thought he began in 2013?) seemed excessive for a Guest Performer nomination. I think he could win but I wouldn’t be pleased if he did.

6. Fred Willard, The Bold and the Beautiful. Eric’s brother John was brought on as comic relief. He’s always funny but this was not imo Emmy-worthy material. he worked with Alley Mills and John McCook.

The newly reinstalled Outstanding Special Guest Performer categoryâ€”absent for yearsâ€”is also a puzzler, with pretty much every “name” who visited a soap in 2014 getting a nod. Among them: GH’s Donna Mills, B&B’s Fred Willard, and Y&R’s Meredith Baxter and Sally Kellerman. Meanwhile, 2014’s finest guest performerâ€”that would be Y&R returnee Shemar Moore (Malcolm)â€”didn’t qualify because NATAS only allowed actors whose characters debuted in 2014. (There is no such rule with the primetime Emmy guest categories). What’s up with that?

“We had a meeting with the soap producers and casting directors and everyone felt strongly that the guest category should be kept crisp and clean with only actors first seen in 2014,” says Michael. “Had Shemar wanted to, he could have submitted himself in the supporting actor category. I don’t think we really lost that many [nomination-worthy] performances with this rule.”

So if I read this correctly the performer must have debuted in this eligibility year so as to exclude all the vets who did guest turns. Now going forward I think the question is do they get the characters who debuted this year get the chance to stay in so long as they not on recurring status? I want to say the answer to that is yes due to the crisp and clean comment.

That’s kind of interesting, that the soap producers and casting directors felt they needed to exclude vets doing return stints. Also, it seems like a silly double standard to exclude people who debuted before the eligibility year but not people who continue to appear on the show into the following year, and frankly I would just change that altogether. If they want a standard for what qualifies someone as a guest, it should just be based on episode count. A person who appeared in two episodes in 2014 should not have to submit in the supporting category when there is a guest category. But I guess everyone was on the same page in terms of primarily using the category to reward big name actors who pop in to soaps for an arc or two.

It is an interesting debate, but the line had to be drawn somewhere and I agree that not too many people were excluded this year based on the criteria.

My list is both preference and prediction. Donna Mills owns this category with stage presence and name recognition. Meredith Baxter was fantastic, but both her and Wise brought the soapy goodness out of MTS rather than showcasing it themselves. Linda Elena Tovar was a great addition and should be welcomed back with open arms, but I can’t see her being competitive against a legend like Mills. Kellerman brought drama, but not enough, and Willard was fun, but I don’t expect that’ll get him too far in this race.

1) Donna Mills, General Hospital – So commanding and demanding, and has the strongest presence of this sextuplet lineup. 2) Ray Wise, Young and the Restless – Donna’s surest competition. He’s a great scheming villain.3) Meredith Baxter, Young and the Restless – Never saw her scenes on Y&R but I asumme they were solid.4) Sally Kellerman, Young and the Restless – Grand name factor. Need to see some of her Y&R material, although I dont believe she was on for long?5) Linda Elena Tovar, General Hospital – Not exactly sure how she broke through here, but good for her. She’s not bad at all, but also not ‘Emmy-worthy’?6) Fred Willard, Bold and the Beautiful – Have yet to catch him on B&B but he’s generally a funny man so…

So, I sat down
and watched all of the reels today that are posted so far on Pop’s
website.Here’s how I would rank the
contenders and a little about my thoughts on each reel.

Meredith Baxter:Really strong, emotional performance, and her story was really easy to
follow for those that don’t watch the show.There were a few times where she went over the top, but it wasn’t enough
to take me out of the moment.

Donna Mills:I really enjoyed this performance.It had a good arc to it and she had some great moments throughout and
had some great facial expressions.Before I knew the reels, I wanted her to win, but I think Meredith had
the overall better reel.

Linda Elena Tovar:I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this performance.It was a really fun and charming
performance.She is really good at
playing a drunk, which isn’t easy to do, and she just comes across as very
natural.I don’t think she has a chance
based on the well-known names she is competing against, but I really enjoyed
her nonetheless.

Ray Wise:This was a good reel, and he played menacing really well at times.However, my problem with it was that, for me,
he went way to over the top several times throughout and it just took me out of
the moment.

Sally Kellerman:She was fine in this, but there wasn’t really anything to it.It was only like 3 minutes because the first
minute was just Adam and Sage.It wasn’t
a bad performance, it just wasn’t enough.

Fred Willard:This was a fun performance, and he has a charming presence as this
character, but again, not enough to be a threat in this category.

1. Linda Elena Tovar (GH) – I don’t understand the ambivalence over her nom. One, it’s nice that this category isn’t only filled with famous names. It would have been hard to take it seriously if that had been the case. And 2, her tape is fabulous. She’s funny. She’s likable. I hope she becomes a bigger cast member soon. 2. Meredith Baxter (YR) – Yeah, she does go over the top sometimes, but she’s golden during the scene when she details her husband’s abuse. She’s definitely the front runner at this point. It would be her first “award.”3. Donna Mills (GH) – Also, I love Ryan Paevey.4. Ray Wise (YR) – Creepy and weird. A standard Wise performance.5. Fred Williard (BB) – Was that his full reel? It sort of cuts out at the end. 6. Sally Kellerman (YR) – Maybe Kellerman had more to do in other episodes, but this short reel didn’t do much for me. It’s just her lying on a bed while she generically recites her lines.

I’d love to see Donna Mills earn a much deserved Emmy. However, I think Linda Elena Tovar will win. Anyone but Ray Wise. Please don’t send another false message to the Y&R brass that this character was Emmy-worthy. Wise is a capable actor and he certainly does creepy well…but PUHLEEZE stop rewarding such unimaginative writing.

#1 Donna Mills,GH: The more sublte and natural performance of all the submissions; she has the strongest and most sophisticated presence in her reel. Plus, wasn’t this the Donna Mills Award in the end of it all?

#2 Meredith Baxter, Y&R: Surprised at how strong this reel was for Meredith. Overall, though, it was a really over-the-top performance, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her win at all.

#3 Ray Wise,Y&R: Wise was superbly disturbing here; I can see it turn off voters maybe.

#4 Elena Tovar, GH: Surprised while watching her tape, because i completely forgot about these scenes! It was pretty solid overall, but it almost felt like it could be Chad Duell’s reel at time.

#5 Sally Kellerman,Y&R: This was easily a name-check-kind of thing. Justin Hartley mainly owned the mere 4 minutes that this was.

#6 Fred Willard, B&B: I would love to see Fred win something someday, as I still think he should have won for his guest turn on Modern Family a few years ago. Aside, the reel mainly lacked any sort of climax like the rest of the above.

I remember saying this category should be revived when I was an avid soap viewer, but yikes at this lineup. On paper, of course it’s pretty outstanding, but based on what was submitted, it’s a mess. Sally Kellerman laid in a bed in the finest of silk PJs from Kohls while Justin Hartley and Kelly Sullivan stole the show. Fred Willard is a delight in his reel, but it’s not enough. Linda Elena Tovar’s nomination is kinda awesome considering she’s not a name. Such a natural and worked really well off of Chad Duell. She would get my vote. This will go to one of the big names that had the meaty material. If it were up to me, Donna Mills would get it. She’s saddled with soapy exposition, a himbo, and Michael Easton and comes away unscathed and with a pretty solid performance. Ray Wise’s reel is embarrassing and Meredith Baxter compacts all of her Lifetime movie performance into a ridiculous tone deaf performance. She’ll be the victor here.

I remember saying this category should be revived when I was an avid soap viewer, but yikes at this lineup. On paper, of course it’s pretty outstanding, but based on what was submitted, it’s a mess. Sally Kellerman laid in a bed in the finest of silk PJs from Kohls while Justin Hartley and Kelly Sullivan stole the show. Fred Willard is a delight in his reel, but it’s not enough. Linda Elena Tovar’s nomination is kinda awesome considering she’s not a name. Such a natural and worked really well off of Chad Duell. She would get my vote. This will go to one of the big names that had the meaty material. If it were up to me, Donna Mills would get it. She’s saddled with soapy exposition, a himbo, and Michael Easton and comes away unscathed and with a pretty solid performance. Ray Wise’s reel is embarrassing and Meredith Baxter compacts all of her Lifetime movie performance into a ridiculous tone deaf performance. She’ll be the victor here.

If Linda Elena Tovar wins the 2015 gold for guest performer (for General Hospital)…it will be the first remarkable case of an “unknown” winning an Emmy over “names” since Michael Goorjian won the 1994 supporting-actor [miniseries/movie] statue over Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Richard Gere, and Ian McKellen. (Refer to the below link.). It was unexpected for Goorjian. This could also be unexpected for Tovar.

Fred Willard’s reel is lacking in weight in comparison to the other reels. Ray Wise is completely overshadowed by Melody Thomas Scott; his reel is actually a great example of why she should have been nominated for Lead Actress. Meredith Baxter’s reel is undermined by the sketchy writing. Sally Kellerman plays second fiddle to Justin Hartley.

That leaves Linda Elena Tovar and Donna Mills. Tovar does not seem to really fit in this category because her character is ongoing. That said, I am a big fan of her work and she does a great job in this reel. Her style is very natural and the writing is relatively down-to-earth. Mills is the star of her reel. Her exposition is very soapy and over-the-top, but her delivery is very strong and relatively subdued given the script. She pretty muchs owns those scenes.

My predictions and preferences are pretty much the same in this category.

Heinle’s much better here than in her own reel. Baxter’s just plain bad for the first few minutes of the reel. Overacting to the nth degree. Once she calms down and starts telling the story, she’s much better. Overall, it’s a strong reel and should get her an easy win.

Sally Kellerman

She doesn’t have much to do here. She’s fine but nothing Emmy worthy.

Donna Mills

Solid, strong work from Mills but the material isn’t as emotional as Baxter’s.

Linda Elena Tovar

I’m glad she got a surprise nom and she gives a good performance here, but I doubt she has a shot at winning against these big names.

Fred Willard

Cute scenes. He’s doing the exact same shtick as when he guests on Modern Family. His performance is fine, but there’s nothing Emmy worthy about these scenes. Did they not upload the full reel? The reel just ends with the mom from The Wonder Years in the middle of a sentence.

Ray WiseOne-note villain performance. The reel goes absolutely nowhere. There’s no range to the performance. He just doesn’t get enough material to work with. And Melody Thomas Scott is laughable in these scenes, although I doubt even Meryl Streep would have been able to do much better with the atrocious dialogue she was given.

What a disappointing category. It’s a real shame they didn’t open this up to returning/recurring actors. Just from GH alone, Robin Mattson, Lynn Herring and Anders Hove all had potential reels stronger than anything these 6 actors submitted. This’ll be an easy win for Y&R. Baxter is the only nominee with material worthy of an Emmy. Tovar, Mills and Wise do solid work but the material isn’t as baity as Baxter’s. Willard and Kellerman had absolutely nothing to work with.